Insight, analysis & opinion from Joe Paduda

< Back to Home

May
24

Bush official states health care crisis could bankrupt the country

In a refreshing acknowledgement of reality, a top Federal official noted that “if there’s one thing that can bankrupt the country, it is health care. It is out of control.” US Comptroller David Walker made this statement while referring to the growing US budget deficit in a speech in New York last Wednesday.
Walker’s comment came during a talk on the budget deficit where he referred to the health care system and federal government health care programs as key contributors to last fiscal year’s $412 billion budget deficit.
Why is this obvious statement of such interest to your author? Because it is the first public acknowledgement by a Bush official of the primacy of health care over Social Security (although Walker did not mention SocSec specifically) as a threat to the economic wellbeing of the nation. It is likely Walker’s comments were not officially vetted, but regardless, they are one of those “emperor has no clothes” statements that may add a level of urgency to the health care debate.


Joe Paduda is the principal of Health Strategy Associates

SUBSCRIBE BY EMAIL

SEARCH THIS SITE

A national consulting firm specializing in managed care for workers’ compensation, group health and auto, and health care cost containment. We serve insurers, employers and health care providers.

 

DISCLAIMER

© Joe Paduda 2024. We encourage links to any material on this page. Fair use excerpts of material written by Joe Paduda may be used with attribution to Joe Paduda, Managed Care Matters.

Note: Some material on this page may be excerpted from other sources. In such cases, copyright is retained by the respective authors of those sources.

ARCHIVES

Archives